Sicilian gypsy folk guitar

AndyW

When your passion for collecting cheap "sleeper" Sicilian guitars starts getting expensive.

This Antonino Napoli cost me nearly as much as the other three put together.

I wonder if the other bidders are on this forum ?? ;-)

billyshakes

I would have bid against you if I had known it was up there (no offense). Love those peacock guitars! Congrats on the find...and win!

ChrisMartin

Well I did wonder if you had anything to do with it. I was tempted too, but the cost of shipping to Australia already added a few quid and I suspected it might go for more than the starting bid (plus, I have just indulged in something else and SWMBO would have given me a stern lecture on economy).

I did wonder though if the side on photo seems to show a rather high action? Hard to tell from that angle, but something about it reminded me of others I have seen where the top has sunk around the soundhole allowing the neck to tilt forward. Hope I am wrong, but from what you have done in the past I would think taking the back off to refit braces and heel block would be within your skills.

Anyway, at least we know it will be in appreciative hands, and hopefully we will get to see some better photos when you can be bothered.

Meanwhile, will this help to put Antonino Napoli out there as a 'name' and therefore no longer, as you called it, 'a sleeper'?

By the way, apart from being a collector with an appreciation of the rarer gems from Sicilian luthiery can you also give advice/valuations on clarinets?

AndyW

yeah, action looks a little high, whether it’s a bowed neck needing some carbonfibre rods to straighten, or dished top requiring another neck reset or back-off ( I reckon the cut back at the heel indicates it’s had a reset previously) or just a trick of the light, we’ll see soon enough. I’ve wanted one of these for years, so I couldnt say no.

Happy to advise on clarinets: like old guitars, violins, saxophones & mandolins, there’s a million out there but only a handful of brands are worth any money, and only in good condition.

AndyW

While there's currently another thread here discussing Corsican guitar music here, I'll throw in this picture of another Mediterranean-island guitar style, "Chitarra Sarda" or Sardinian Guitar.

Many were, and still are, made and played on the island of Sardinia, although I wonder if this photo suggests that these large-bodied instruments were also made further south, in Sicily: two of these guitars have "peacock" inlays, one design seems an identical (though larger ?) version of those seen earlier in this thread.

Here's a modern day Sicilian-made Chitarra Sarda, built by Musicalia, in Catania:

As I understand it, they have a scale length of ~680 mm (like my old Sicilian 'Caponetto') but are tuned lower, as a baritone guitar.

There are plenty of "Cantu a chiterra" clips on youtube - it's an acquired taste ;-)

AndyW

My collection of vintage Sicilian 'gypsy' folk guitars, all made in Catania, mid 20th century

L to R

- 1930's Antonino Napoli "Pavone" was playable when it arrived, but has a lightly dished top :-( , thanks, in part, to having had a set of 13-54 strings on its long 682mm scale length: I intend to slowly re-flatten the top and maybe add a couple of longitudinal braces either side of the soundhole. Needs a partial refret too, if I can find something to closely match the existing frets - a winter project. Top, bracing, back, neck, fretboard & tuners all seem in decent condition. A bigger guitar than it might look at first sight ;-)

[ Edit: I think the upper part of the peacock inlay and soundhole has been cut away, probably for a pickup. I’ll reinstate as part of the strengthening work ]

-1950's P Bucolo (?) / (A. Napoli ?) unlabelled gypsy parlour guitar- nearly back together after a neck break at the heel while in storage. Cheap new eBay tuners seem to have made it very neck heavy. Ready to re-string it this weekend.

-1950's Musicalia - My go-to everyday player. Long overdue for a re-string.

-1930's/40's Stefano Caponnetto - Playing really nicely, still need to stabilise -superglue??- some small edge inlays and dress some frets. The good news is that I found my missing fret file - yay!. I may restring with 10s, and put the week-old 11s on the Bucolo.

-

I "only" need to add something top-end from Carmelo Catania and that's probably going to be full house. I might sell my Rene Gerome 'bean-hole' to fund it, and make some space. Bucolo is for sale too, if I don't donate it to a gypsy friend.

littlemark

No dropped picks in that sound hole.

AndyW

you *can* drop pick through the soundhole, but you’ll be cursing in Sicilian trying to get it back out. 😵‍💫

ChrisMartin

And they all look so happy together ! Nice collection, and I admire your suggestion of selling the Gerome to fund a Carmelo,

I wish I could be that single-mined but my 'collection' goes off in all directions. I should organise some photos of the group, but the Di Mauros are the only Sicilians so the rest don't belong on here. Indonesian D'Angelico anyone? Or a home built Jerry Garcia 'Alligator' Strat tribute? Thought not.......

As for your neck heavy Bucolo, yes I am not surprised. Some basic laws of physics dictate that with the waist of the guitar on your knee as the pivot point and given it probably does not weigh much overall any weight however light added out at the end of the neck will make a difference. However you may be able to counter it by adding a heavier tailpiece, that original one would only weigh a couple of grams, the traditional Selmer type with some experimenting with different materials for the insert (lead?) should fix it.

I sold my Bucolo a while ago, that one was very light overall and probably even changing the gauge of strings would have made a difference to the weight, maybe going to 11s will help ! But yes, if it wasn't for the cost of postage I would grab that one too. (Tragically, I always miss them more whenever I sell one).

Still mighty jealous of the Caponetto, I have no idea of how it would play, but it is one of the best looking guitars ever.

The Musicalia; lovely, and they still list something similar today, I guess the 'Star' model is closest although spelled Musikalia just to confuse us further; I often get tempted to even buy new; I wonder what that 'Sarda' sounds like, they look interesting too.

Anyway, keep us notified of any more interesting Sicilians !

Willie

Found these pictures of Eric Bibb today:

He's playing the one on the second picture here, starting at 2:40:

https://youtu.be/fF7lB37Fbx8

... and seems to like unusual designs, inspired not least by sicilian beauties (Daniel Stark "JaZZ Fusion" and "Baritone"):

https://youtu.be/dUFtKEGDUnw